Opening up the playbook Weis will give Clausen more to work with

September 13, 2007|ERIC HANSEN Tribune Staff Writer

SOUTH BEND -- Jimmy Clausen is roughly nine months older. Ryan Mallett is a good four inches taller. Clausen's high school legend is never having lost a game at Oaks Christian in Westlake Village, Calif. Mallett's -- listed in the Michigan media guide, no less -- is that he has supposedly thrown a football 87 yards. The top two quarterback prospects nationally in the last recruiting cycle will grab the spotlight but not the microphone when unranked Notre Dame (0-2) and unranked Michigan (0-2) clash Saturday at Ann Arbor, Mich., in the first meeting between college football's two historically winningest programs in which it's strictly all about redemption. Both ND's 6-foot-3, 207-pound Clausen and 6-7, 252-pound Mallett have been muzzled by their respective coaches. Clausen will be making his second college start. Mallett, subbing for injured senior Chad Henne, will be making his first. "This isn't going to be about Mallett and Jimmy," Irish third-year coach Charlie Weis proclaimed Tuesday. "I think it's about two teams rich in tradition that are 0-2, trying to get to 1-2. I'm sure that's what they (Michigan) are talking about. And it's certainly what we're talking about. It's not about who can win the duel between freshman quarterbacks." But it may be about whose defense can rattle the other's freshman the most. At least Clausen might have a little more material to work with this time. Playing behind an offense line that has allowed NCAA worsts in sacks (15) and tackles for loss (29) cumulatively in the first two weeks of the season, Clausen will have more than the CliffsNotes from the Irish playbook Saturday to throw at a struggling Wolverine defense. "We had minimal (plays) in," Weis affirmed of the gameplan in last Saturday's 31-10 loss at then-14th-ranked Penn State. "I wouldn't say it was the least I've ever had, but it wasn't very much. And, well, we believed it was enough to manage the game. "But the problem is I have a Catch-22. I would rather not open it up, but you have to open it up to give you an opportunity to score points. I'm aggressive by nature, and being aggressive by nature you have to make sure you don't hang the quarterback out to dry." Clausen is 21-of-38 for 178 yards with an interception combined in his start Mike Golic Jr., are surprised about ND's 0-2 record and all the statistical ugliness that comes with it, heading into Saturday's showdown? at Michigan (0-2). "I thought there might be growing pains," the 6-5, 265-pound offensive lineman from West Hartford, Conn., said. "I've been such a fan for such a long time, you don't want to believe it, but I know they have the talent and the senior leaders there to put it all together." Some, like Williams, N.C., cornerback Robert Blanton, are in outright shock but still firmly committed. "I didn't think they'd be dominating, based on who they were playing and how young they were, but I never thought about them losing," said Blanton, his Butler High team (3-0) ranked No. 2 in the state, thanks in part to his four interceptions on defense and two offensive touchdowns. Weis says the tack he takes, with both committed recruits and the one he is still chasing, is simply to be honest about the team's problems and not to worry about spin control. "I talk about the game, talk about what happened in the game," Weis said. "I tell them, 'Hey, what are you doing Saturday? Can you get your stuff and make the trip to Ann Arbor?' I mean, look at it from their standpoint. They're watching the game, too, and saying, 'Hey I can play there.'" Lemming said that is the vibe he is getting, even from the uncommitted prospects on ND's shopping list. And the most important targets on that list, he said, are wide receivers Michael Floyd (6-3, 200; St. Paul, Minn.) and Deion Walker (6-3, 187; Christchurch, Ca.), and running backs Ryan Williams (6-1, 200; Manassas, Va.) and Carlton Thomas (5-6, 159; Frostproof, Fla.). "Notre Dame is doing a great job of staying in touch and communicating, and that's key," Lemming said. "There's always a guy or two who could jump ship in any season, but with Jimmy Clausen starting off well at quarterback, that's a definite plus, especially considering with the guys who Notre Dame is still looking at. "I think most kids are smart enough to realize the junior and senior classes are perhaps the two worst in Notre Dame history. They were going to suffer with leadership. They were lucky they had some fifth-year seniors coming back. But having almost all of your talent in the lower two classes does not bode well when you start out with a schedule like Notre Dame's. "One thing people have to realize is these kids, these recruits are not yet part of the team, so they don't feel the malaise about the team now. They're looking to the future, and the future is Jimmy Clausen." Which makes Crist's enthusiasm so perplexing until you find out what makes the Sherman Oaks Notre Dame High School quarterback tick. Crist, 17, and Clausen, who turns 20 on Sept. 21, went to Chaminade Middle School together in Southern California. They were not football teammates, however. Clausen played on the school's flag football team. Crist chose to play tackle football, so he joined a Pop Warner team. It was Clausen who invited Crist over to his father's house near campus to play video games during the down time of Crist's recruiting visit. It was Clausen who recruited Crist harder than any other current Irish player. It was Clausen who called him to see how Crist's visit went. It was Clausen who still touches base with Crist on a weekly basis, just to check in. "I consider Jimmy a friend," Crist said. "Some people think there's this animosity or rivalry between us. Well we are both very competitive people, but we want to be around other competitive people. That's how college is. I mean it's a competition. That's how you get better. That's how you build winning teams." And linebacker commitment Darius Fleming and future Irish offensive lineman Lane Clelland are seeing the same thing, too. "When I watch Notre Dame, I can't wait to get there and do my best for them," said Clelland, from Owings Mills, Md. "Not from a sympathy standpoint, but because I think we're building something special." "This class, our class, is going to get a shot right away to help," said Fleming, who plays for unbeaten Chicago St. Rita High. "You look at all the freshmen that coach Weis is playing now. That's going to be us next year. We're going to work our hardest and see what happens." Some, like Crist, may have to wait. Clausen, after all, is only a freshman. But the highest-rated prospect in the class (No. 10 nationally regardless of position) is willing to do that if patience is asked to be his virtue. "I definitely have a lot of people ask me why I'd go to Notre Dame with Jimmy already there," he said. "Again, what they don't know is how competitive I am at everything. Just by nature, I give 110 percent to whatever I do. I'm just confident that whatever I do and whatever happens will be the best situation. "I'm not necessarily concerned about having to go play early or play right away. But when I do play, I want to play great. I want to be the best prepared when it's my time to play. I want to be comfortable. I just want to be in the best position to be successful when it's my time. And I'm going to compete every day until coach Weis says, 'Dayne, it's your time.' "